Serato to RekordBox – How to Move from One to the Other

Serato DJ and RekordBox are two of the big 3 pieces of DJ software including Traktor. These days, it’s hard to say for sure, but RekordBox and Serato are probably the most popular two. They’re super-powerful, constantly updated, flexible, affordable and work with the largest amount of devices.

Traktor is great too but it’s still a little confined to the Native Instruments ecosystem. So, for now, it’s safe to say that Serato and RekordBox are battling it out at the top. RekordBox primarily represents for Pioneer. Serato, they primarily represent for any manufacturers which are not Pioneer or Native Instruments!

Still, it’s entirely possible to use either software on any controller with a bit of custom mapping handy work and thus, these two DJ programs are relatively easy to compare.

What Happens When You Change Your Mind?

These two pieces of software are the most popular, BUT, what if you want to switch from one to the other?
RekordBox is on the rise, it’s too soon yet to say whether it’s the dominant program but more people are moving from Serato to RekordBox. If you move from Serato to RekordBox, you’ll be faced with the task of moving your library.

Moving your library might seem daunting but it’s pretty straightforward with a little assistance from the program Rekord Buddy.

A Quick Summary of Serato and RekordBox

Serato – Serato is the most common DJ program seeing that it comes with many DJ controllers across manufacturers such as Numark, Hercules, Denon and Roland. Pretty much, anything not manufactured by Pioneer or Native Instruments uses Serato – that’s a lot of controllers!

Serato can be used with lots of ‘add on’ packages. These cover everything from extra FX to Serato Flip – a remix program, video DJing, etc. They’re not all expensive but it’s costly to max out on everything.

Serato works with over 60 controllers, 15 to 20 mixers, several interfaces and DVS boxes and tons of accessories.

RekordBox – RekordBox has developed from a CDJ-based program for mix preparation to its own standalone software for DJ controller use. Pioneer has now released many controllers but prior to this, RekordBox was supplied with controllers from other manufacturers.

RekordBox now matches Serato in every area. It’s not dissimilar but feels different to use – it’ll feel more natural for users of Pioneer equipment. It can also come in at cheaper when you factor in stuff like video DJing. It might slightly lag behind in the scratching area where Serato still reigns supreme but otherwise, RekordBox is becoming ubiquitous on the club circuit.

RekordBox works with over 20 controllers, CDJs and over 10 mixers. It integrates perfectly with Pioneer devices.

How to Move From Serato to RekordBox

Right, so maybe you’ve bought a Pioneer controller and need to move your library. Maybe you just want to change software or run both software platforms you can switch between them for different gigs or other uses.

Whatever the reason is, the time may come where you need to migrate between Serato and RekordBox. This brings about unique challenges such as importing cue points, beat grids, etc.

You may have a very finely tuned library of tons of tunes with cue points, playlists, history, key, the list goes on…How do you transfer this information between platforms?

Here are some methods:

  • Manually

Manually transitioning your library is tricky. The advantage is that it gives you a clean start to tidy things up, tighten your library, get rid of excess or unwanted music, etc. With a clean slate, you can streamline your music library and equip it for your new software venture.

To perform a manual migration, you’ll want to organize your music into playlists by folder and then import the folders into RekordBox so you can sort them out quickly and easily within the program. This will be far quicker than importing everything in one big mass- it’ll also mean your tunes are arranged on your PC/laptop if you need to transfer them to a hard drive or new laptop/PC.

Manually re-importing your library means new analysis – so new cue points and beat grids will have to be generated. It will take time and it is a hassle if you use a lot of cue points or keys.

If you used MixedInKey and the Camelot Wheel then your keys will already be written to the tracks and thus, RekordBox will not need to re-analyze the key when you import. You can turn this off.

  • Automatically

Manual migration is arduous and will rarely be suitable unless you need to reconstruct your library from scratch. If you want to take a quicker method, you’ll need to use a program like Rekord Buddy. Rekord Buddy is only available on Mac OS and it’s recently been upgraded to Rekord Buddy 2.

Rekord Buddy will automatically take your library from other DJ software like Serato and turn it into a library designed for RekordBox. It will perfectly sync everything from playlists to cue points and beat grids.

Everything will be imported in-tact, so you won’t need to redo cues, etc. Also, Rekord Buddy 2 has some awesome tools which will help you clear up your library before migration. You can tweak and re-organize your tunes before re-importing them into RekordBox.

Rekord Buddy is extremely useful. Not only does it enable you to transfer libraries between Serato and RekordBox whilst retaining cue points, beat grids and playlists, it also helps you clear up your music in the process.

Summary

Migration between programs is becoming pretty regular now. You may be a Serato die hard but let’s face it, Pioneer controllers are taking over and alongside that, RekordBox is surging in popularity. It’s not clear cut yet but, RekordBox may be the better program to use these days seeing as Pioneer controllers are becoming the most popular in venues and at music events.

Importing your library into RekordBox from Serato is tricky if you do it manually. Manual transfer does give you the option to reevaluate your music but, it’s obviously time-consuming.

Instead, Rekord Buddy 2 enables you to import your music from Serato into RekordBox automatically. This is awesome as it retains cue points, beat-grids, etc, which is highly convenient and will save you tons of time. With added tools that help you organize your library, you can’t deny that Rekord Buddy 2 is the best option for those looking to migrate from Serato to RekordBox.

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